Photo Friday: Expedia President

Meet, Plan, Go! Co-Founder, Sherry Ott had the opportunity to meet with some travel giants this week in Seattle. She is pictured here with Scott Durchslag, the President of Expedia.com.

I spoke with Scott about sabbatical travel and the recent Vacation Deprivation study that Expedia conducted and was thrilled to hear Scott say, “Travel increases people’s productivity.” He felt strongly that it was not only important to ensure that employees are taking their allotted vacation, but he also had positive things to say about sabbaticals.

He is a big believer in the transformative qualities of sabbaticals. He told me he takes a sabbatical every 5 years and immerses himself in experiences and cultures. I was enthralled listening to stories of his past sabbaticals and took a few notes for ideas for my future travels! He’s an avid mountaineer and has climbed peaks in Tibet and Africa and has spent extensive time in China. However, the highlight of my time with him was hearing that my nomadic lifestyle and Meet, Plan, Go! work was an inspiration to him!

The message? There’s hope for our career break movement!

It is good to know that there are business leaders who embrace and believe in the many benefits of travel and sabbaticals. It is leaders like Scott who will hopefully bring more attention to our career break movement making the idea of extended travel acceptable and part of our career path.